1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of building construction elements and methods. More specifically the present invention relates to a method of assembling a concrete building module including the steps of providing a number of metal or plastic connection plates, separating the connection plates into groups of wall panel connection plates and roof panel connection plates, each connection plate having a plate connection means and having a plate anchor means; pre-casting with concrete a number of exterior wall panels having exterior wall panel faces and exterior wall panel ends with the plate anchor means of at least one wall panel connection plate embedded in a wall panel face of each at least one exterior wall panel such that the wall panel connection plate is adjacent an external wall panel end; pre-casting with concrete a roof panel having roof panel face and roof panel ends with the anchor means of a number of roof panel connection plates embedded in a roof panel face of the roof panel such that the connection plates are adjacent to a roof panel end; forming a floor panel; placing the exterior wall panels upright and end to end along the perimeter of the floor panel to define an enclosure such that connection plates of adjacent wall panels register with and are immediately adjacent to each other; welding the adjacent wall panel connection plates together to secure the wall panels in their positions relative to each other; placing the roof panel across and on top of the wall panels such that roof panel connection plates register with and are immediately adjacent to wall panel connection plates; welding adjacent wall panel and roof panel connection plates together to secure the one roof panel and wall panels in their positions relative to each other to define a concrete building module.
The module formed according to this method includes a building foundation slab; a number of exterior wall panels having exterior wall panel faces and exterior wall panel ends, the exterior wall panels being positioned upright and end to end on the floor panel to form an enclosure, each exterior wall panel having wall panel connection plates embedded in wall exterior panel faces at exterior side wall panel ends registering with and being immediately adjacent and welded or melted to wall panel connection plates of adjacent exterior wall panels; at least one roof panel having roof panel ends and resting on top of the exterior wall panels and having roof panel connection plates registering with and being immediately adjacent and welded to wall panel connection plates of adjacent exterior wall panel ends.
The plate connection means preferably includes a substantially planar metal or plastic plate having a plate first end and a plate second end. The connection plate anchor means preferably include two plate faces and at least one, and preferably two, plate anchor projections extending outwardly and preferably perpendicularly from the plate first face. The roof panel preferably is an inventive monolithic peaked roof panel, in the form of two planar panels formed in a single casting to be monolithically interconnected at common panel ends to form the wide V-shaped cross-section of a peaked roof
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been buildings and building modules formed of pre-cast concrete wall panels tilted upright on a foundation slab. In some instances, concrete roof panels have been placed on top of the tilt-up concrete wall panels. A problem with assembling these structures has been in interconnecting the wall panels with interconnection means which are strong enough to meet building codes and safety requirements and yet which can be installed and interconnected quickly and efficiently with minimal worker skill.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a building module which is constructed of individual pre-cast concrete panels and is assembled with panel interconnection means which cause the building module to be sturdy and reliable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a building module which has interconnection means which can be joined quickly, with conventional tools and with minimal worker skill.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an interconnection means for interconnecting concrete panels which is inexpensive to manufacture and to incorporate into a concrete panel during panel casting and which can be joined to another such interconnection means quickly, with conventional tools and with minimal worker skill.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of assembling such a building module from pre-cast concrete panels by interconnecting the concrete panels with such interconnection means.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a method of assembling such a building module with a pre-cast monolithic peaked concrete roof panel.